HBO's The Sex Lives of College Girls cliff-hanger ending explained ahead of new series
The Sex Lives of College Girls has returned for a third season on HBO Max, but fans may need a refresher on the season two ending which premiered two years ago
*Warning, this article contains major spoilers for The Sex Lives of College Girls.*
The much-anticipated return of HBO's university dramedy The Sex Lives of College Girls has finally arrived, two years after leaving fans on a sour note with its finale.
The brainchild of The Office's Mindy Kaling, the comedy series follows the lives of a diverse group of university students as they grapple with friendship, sexuality and romance.
As their bond strengthens, the friends face personal hurdles, from coming out to their parents to juggling academic pressures.
Season two ended on a shocking note when one of the main characters betrayed her close friend. As fans gear up to binge-watch the new series, here's a recap of what you need to remember from the previous season.
The Manchester Evening News reports Season two was fraught with tension, culminating in a dramatic final episode. Leighton Murray (played by Renee Rapp) revealed at the start of the finale that she was moving into the Kappa sorority house.
While Leighton had her living situation sorted, the rest of the group was still scrambling to find suitable roommates for the upcoming school year. This led Whitney Chase (Alyah Chanelle Scott) to invite Kimberly Finkle (Pauline Chalamet) to be her roommate.
The pair were all set to move in together and even contemplated asking Bela Malhotra (Amrit Kaur) to join them. However, by the end of the half-hour episode, their plans had drastically changed.
Bela's heart was already set on moving out with two pals from her comedy magazine, leaving Kimberly and Whitney high and dry as potential flatmates.
However, the gears shifted when Kimberly locked lips with Whitney's former flame Canaan (Christopher Meyer). Seeking guidance early in the finale, she confided in Lila about her crush to which Lila hit back: "It ain't worth it."
Yet, Kimberly, sensing Canaan's mutual feelings, made a move post-party. In peak teen drama flair, Whitney busted them mid-snog, utterly gutted.
The next day, Whitney jetted off to the Kappa sorority house seeking sanctuary, ditching Kimberly to deal with her living crisis alone.
Long-standing fans won't be shocked; Kimberly has previous form for such betrayals.
In season one, she had a covert romp with Leighton's brother Nico (Gavin Leatherwood), and now teases suggest a budding spark with Canaan.
Chatting to Variety in 2022, showrunner Justin Noble divulged: "[...] unlike Nico doing a pull-up, and Jackson walking out of a bathroom, we've seen a deepening between Canaan and Kimberly, and this crush is coming from a different place than just glistening abs."
The question on everyone's lips is, will love blossom in the third series?
Following the Theta party, Leighton revealed over breakfast that she had left the Kappa sorority due to their archaic beliefs, leaving her without roommates for the second year.
Bela also found herself roommate-less after making the comedy group's newspaper profile solely about her.
Kimberly suggested that the four of them should share a house next year, but Whitney and Bela were not enthusiastic about the idea.
Devastated by the rift with her comedy pals, Bela decided to leave Essex College.
The series ended on an uneasy note for the characters, setting the stage for a dramatic ten episodes in season three.
American viewers can stream The Sex Lives of College Girls Season Three on HBO Max.
UK fans will have to wait for the official release date for season three, but until then seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on ITVX.